December was pretty darn good for us after sorting out a foot issue and making a diet change. He was forward, back to progressing over ground rails and cavaletti. Stopped his baby bucking shenanigans. Sometimes too forward, so we did a fair amount of walking cavaletti (walking to them but asking him to jump them not just step over and land in a soft canter). Acupuncture maintenance appt during this time notes none of the back soreness he usually has. A little in the lumbo-sacral area, but vet notes he’s the best she’s ever felt.
Cold snap at the beginning of January and he has several days off due to some icy conditions, arena footing freezing, too cold for their lungs, etc. We do hand walking as we are able and they are turned out once no more negative temps and ice.
Comes back into work NQR after that. Balking. Parking out as if to pee several times even though he’s just peed (usually he pees first thing under saddle). Or stops and lifts tail. May or may not pass anything. Overall, daily frequency of manure and manure consistency WNL for him. Drinking well but not eating quite as much hay. This is pre-diet change behavior. Reassess diet and ask staff to stop overfeeding beet pulp. A couple better days then back to balking. Back to eating more hay. We’re at absolutely NO GO under saddle. He is adamant about this. If I find a way to get him to go, he won’t keep going for very long. Wants to quit. Slamming on the brakes. Not interested in the baby jumps or even poles. Fusses with the bit or tries to chew on the rein or something rather than relax and look forward and ahead and go forward. (Teeth were done in October). Won’t walk with any kind of real pace. Question his belly comfort. Try RelyneGI at a vet’s recommendation. It’s been 12 days now no noticeable difference. Tried a Bute ride at vet’s recommendation (even though not good for belly), and no improvement in u/s behavior.
This is up there with his worst original neck pain behavior from early/mid 2015. EXCEPT, he is more willing to go forward in hand. With tack on and without. With different saddles on. Whether I’ve already been on his back or not. Looks sound. Takes deep breaths, appears to enjoy moving. Relaxed expression, some shenanigans but 110% better than he was in hand when everything blew up for us in early 2015.
His neck was last injected in September 2016. His ROM in his neck is still quite good. Chiro vet says his neck still feels markedly better than when she saw him pre-injections, and I agree as far as his carrot stretches go. Low back and lumbo/sacral area more sore. Nothing noted under saddle area.
Appetite is good. Still drinking well. Ground manners good (for him, lol). Had X-rayed his entire T-spine in 2015 with no kissing spines.
He had very loose manure this morning and a lot of gas, so I’m doing a “diarrhea panel”. His CBC/Chem was completely normal in late October, and vet feels like we don’t need to repeat. Dewormed for everything in October (Equimax and Quest, a couple weeks apart). Friend just texted me from the barn who has a horse with some similar weird things going on (also a history of lameness but completely different issues), and she says his manure looks ok now.
Friend’s horse has been unwilling to go forward and parking out for months. Overall more willing than mine but NQR. He also parks out just standing around. Mine does not. Then he started chewing on his sides very frequently. It was so bad, she thought he had an allergy to the detergent used to wash his blanket. She has quit riding him, tried injections for some of his suspected issues. He has also had loose manure the past couple of weeks. She thinks he’s been dull/lethargic as well. Temp and vitals normal, though, taken daily.
Another horse at the barn (my horse’s neighbor) this past week also started chewing on his sides and parking out under saddle. Noted by owner’s trainer. He was pawing and turning around in his stall a lot last night, as if he was going to roll but didn’t. He then went back to making snarky faces with my horse between the bars (their favorite game). I’ve never seen him do the pawing before. I told the owner just in case, and she had the vet out. I didn’t hear more about it, so I assume he was ok, not colic.
In December, I was finally thinking, THIS is my horse. Such a good feeling. Where did he go again? And WTF is up with my barn? The only thing the 3 horses have in common is the barn’s grass hay and beet pulp, which they make up from dry molasses-free shreds 2x a day.
I feel cursed. Time to wave more chicken bones on strings.
She (chiro vet) thinks we may well be into the zebra phase. Regular vet is willing to do the diarrhea panel, has written off testing for anything tick-borne, and recommends nuclear scintigraphy at this point. However, the weird thing for this horse is that he’s pretty darn good except for under saddle. I’d like to say that’s from my awesome re-training of his groundwork (with skilled help), but I dunno…
